A is for Airbender
by Soundspeed
Summary: "It all started like this..." Twenty-six tales of Aang and Katara's relationship, one for each letter of the alphabet. Kataang, with some others.
1. Airbender

I do not own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender. _I do, however, own this story.

As you may or may not have guessed from the title, this will be an alphabet-themed collection of stories, in which I write a short piece for each letter of the alphabet. I know, it's probably been done to death, but it sounded like fun and I did try to put my own little spin on the concept to keep things relatively fresh. For now, my plan is for there to be ten chapters, with the middle eight consisting of three stories/letters each, and the first and last each containing one along with a prologue and epilogue, respectively. That may change though; I'll just have to write and see how it goes from there.

The other thing I wanted to point out is that in this collection I'm going to be experimenting with a more minimalist style of writing (at least, more minimalist than the stuff I usually do, anyway). It's kind of a new direction for me, so please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

* * *

In the flickering light, Aang could feel the heat emanating from the hearth. It was comforting, like draping a blanket over his seated figure as he gazed off into the flames dancing in the modest fireplace. He could feel his head starting to nod wearily and he would have dozed off, but his progress was impeded by the figure seated in his lap.

"Daddy," Thao protested, pulling on the monk's traditional ocher-tinged robes. "Don't fall asleep! You promised you'd tell me a story!"

_Oh man_. She was usually the one who told the bedtime stories, but Aang had promised his wife the night off that night. Hoping the added light would provide some inspiration, he subtly flicked his wrist, causing the now smoldering cinders to reignite. Meeting his son's gaze, he smiled.

"I did, didn't I? Well, let me think for just a minute now…"

"Thao? Is your father slacking off already?" her voice called from the bedroom.

"Of course not," Aang countered, feigning indignity. "_My_ stories just take a long time to think up because they're that special. Right, kiddo?"

"Yeah!" Thao agreed enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on his father's lap which got a chuckle out of the Airbender.

"All right then," Aang said favorably. Staring off at the ceiling for a moment, he considered the possibilities. He could tell Thao about that one time Sokka broke his arm trying to impress Suki by riding a wild lion-boar. Of course, there was also that one time where Katara had tried to teach Toph how to swim. Or maybe…

_Huh?_ Aang frowned, his gaze falling upon his young son and the neatly-folded piece of parchment the boy held in his hand. "What have you got there, Thao? Some hidden treasure?"

"I found it," Thao said seriously, nodding his head and lowering his voice to a whisper, as though speaking too loudly would cause the wondrous artifact to vanish into thin air. "You can look if you want to… but you can't tell no one!"

Aang nodded gravely, sealing the pact, and took the parchment from his son. A small smile broke across his features as he unfolded it and took in its contents.

"I can't understand what the squigglies mean," Thao admitted from his perch atop Aang's knees.

The monk shook his head slowly. He'd recognize Katara's handwriting any day. And then, suddenly, as though Roku had come down and delivered the inspiration himself, Aang was struck with an idea.

"Okay, Thao. How about this? I'll tell you what all of these 'squigglies' mean." If there was one thing that hadn't changed at all since the end of the war, it was the mischievous smile adorning Aang's face.

The boy looked up and wrinkled his nose incredulously. "But what about the story?"

"I'm glad you asked," Aang continued with a grin. "Believe it or not, the story is all about them."

"That sounds like a really confusing story."

"Some parts of it are confusing," Aang admitted. "But some parts are happy. Some parts are sad. Some parts might even be a little scary!"

When Thao did not reply, the Airbender looked down to see that his son was gazing up at him, already fully enraptured. And so Aang continued.

"What's most amazing about this story is that it's actually made up of lots of little stories. And they're all true."

"Really? All of them?"

"Absolutely all of them." Aang paused for a second, taking in the gentle heat of the fire as he pondered where exactly to begin. "It all started like this…"

* * *

**A is for Airbender**

He loved this time of day. The breeze, the grassy hill upon which he lay, the way the sky's cheery blue bled into a majestic pastel orange in the twilight… it all blended together to form a beauty beyond comprehension. Despite this, his mind was elsewhere.

He was an Airbender. The last of his kind, his people lost a century ago, the victims of a ruthless genocide. There was a hole that would not be filled, a loneliness that could not be tempered… not even in the serenity of dusk. Not even by her.

"Aang, what are you doing?" Her face filled his vision, her eyes staring straight down into his own.

His reply was not immediate, but after much delay he finally said simply, "Just thinking, I guess."

The attempt at evasion was a futile one. She could read him like an open book, and she knew it. If she were bothered however, her face certainly did not echo the sentiment as she broke into a bemused grin. "You've been laying out here staring at the sky for half an hour now. What could you be thinking about?"

"Oh… nothing in particular."

He wasn't even trying anymore. "Right. Of course you were. Now, are you going to tell me the truth or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Her threat sharply contrasted with her playful tone.

Slate eyes bored into cerulean ones as he weighed the consequences of telling her. And for a second, his gaze wavered. Hers did not.

It was all he needed.

"I'm the last one, Katara."

"What?"

"The last Airbender." The words hung in the air, swaying in the evening breeze. And for a little while the two were silent.

She lifted her arm, and he noticed for the first time that she was kneeling over him. And then, warmth as she softly placed her hand on his cheek. Her touch was as soothing as the twilight itself.

"Aang, I know how much you miss them…"

"It isn't that simple." Their eye contact was broken as he shifted to sit up beside her.

"What do you mean?" Her tone was one of genuine confusion, of worry. Compassionate.

"What happens when I'm gone, Katara?" His reply was abrupt, his words spilling out faster and faster as he went on. "What happens when _we're_ gone? My race will be completely extinct. Nothing will remain of us… only ghosts and memories."

"Aang, listen…" She wanted to tell him. _Needed_ to tell him. Now more than ever, he needed to know.

"And the world won't even blink," he spat bitterly, tears threatening to fall. "It's pointless."

Her hand reached his shoulder. "You don't mean that," she said simply. "I know you don't mean that."

"Katara…"

"Aang, you risked everything you had to save this world," she said, her eyes meeting his once more. "You did it for me and Sokka and Toph and everyone else. And the world will always remember you and your people for it."

"But that won't bring them back," he countered sullenly, face buried in his arms as he brought his knees to his chest. "The memory of my people will die with me."

Again, there was her touch. "I wouldn't be so sure about that one."

His eyebrows shot up. He hadn't been expecting that one. "What do you mean?" His stare, which had been intently fixed on some imaginary object somewhere off in the horizon, turned now to Katara.

She did not reply. Instead, her free hand left the soft grass and came to rest upon her abdomen as she gave him a small, shy smile.

And with that tiny, seemingly insignificant gesture, everything was suddenly different. Aang couldn't help but break into a smile so wide that he honestly questioned whether or not his face could take it as he gave a great whooping laugh and met his wife in a tight embrace.

He loved this time of day. It reminded him of what was important, of all the blessings in his life. It reminded him of who he was.

He was an Airbender.

* * *

**A/N: **On a final note, in case anyone was wondering, don't expect these stories to be in any sort of chronological order. Aang's just sort of pulling these stories from memory based on the letter, so I'm going to be jumping around the time line a bit. Most will probably take place sometime after the show's conclusion, though some may take place during the show's events and a couple may even happen beforehand.

With that in mind, see you all in chapter two! Thanks for reading.


	2. Balance, Clarity, Delicate

I do not own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I do, however, own this story.

These three pieces went through a considerable amount of changes before getting to where they are now. I had originally started writing a piece called "Bold" for B, but then realized that I'd rather save that story for a different letter. "Clarity" was both "Change" and "Cascade" at separate points, but neither of those ideas really had enough substance to support themselves. "Delicate", meanwhile, is easily my favorite of the three, and is also the only one that made it in one piece from concept to writing without any significant changes.

But anyway, enough of my rambling.

**

* * *

B is for Balance**

Like up against down. Like fire against water. Like night against day.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang's words were gentle as he approached the young Waterbender.

"_Nothing's_ wrong," she deflected, arms crossed over her bosom as she stalked over to Appa, who had claimed a spot a few yards away from the campfire. She didn't bother to elaborate as she unceremoniously took a seat against the bison's rudder-like tail with a huff.

Aang glanced back over toward the fire to see Sokka going through similar motions, only against a tree in lieu of a conveniently-placed sky bison as Toph sat contentedly at the fire, either asleep or ignoring what was going on. "It was him, wasn't it?"

If the Airbender was waiting for a reply, then he would be sorely disappointed. Katara said nothing in return, only turned her head away from the monk as she stared determinedly off into the darkening woods.

Her silence spoke more than she had likely intended, however, and Aang more or less pieced together what had transpired. Katara and Sokka had gotten into some harmless argument which had elevated out of hand and ultimately resulted in the two not speaking. He knew from experience; he'd had his fair share with both siblings in the past. Sighing softly, the monk took a seat next to the Water Tribe girl.

"Don't let it get to you," he offered softly. "You should have seen some of the arguments Kuzon and I got into back in the day!"

"Oh really?" she grumbled, though Aang could sense the slightest hint of curiosity peeking through.

"Really," Aang said, nodding to emphasize his overly-serious tone. "You should consider yourself lucky… your arguments don't end in full-scale bending battles."

"Not _yet_, anyway," Katara replied immediately. She finally turned to face Aang, and he could see the faintest of smiles playing on her lips.

Aang smiled back, and for a few moments the two just sat like that, enjoying each other's company. The young monk could not remember when or why it happened, but at one point he noticed that his arm had found its way around Katara's shoulders.

Katara, in turn, didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed that the case was quite the opposite as she discretely moved closer, and before Aang really knew what was happening, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Aang was sure he had some manner of a silly grin on his face at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. Katara smiled softly back at him all the while, giggling slightly as she blushed.

Neither said a word. It wasn't necessary.

He was the sky against her earth, she the spring against his autumn. When he got too high, she would bring him back down. When she fell, he was always there to raise her back up. They opposed and yet complimented each other in a perfect, unbreakable harmony.

Balanced.

**

* * *

C is for Clarity**

He wasn't quite sure when it had hit him. The thought, oddly enough, hadn't really crossed his mind at their regal wedding ceremony. Nor had it occurred to him when they had first set foot in their new home, a modest house in the Earth Kingdom countryside near Gaoling.

No, the more he thought about it, the more Aang came to figure that it must have occurred to him on a night similar to the present, in the comfort and safety of his own house, under the cover of his own blankets. In the arms of his newly-wedded wife.

He was hers. She was his. He thought back to the day they had first met, when he'd opened his eyes to the sight of her face. He'd dreamt of this moment ever since then; not even a century-long war could keep his thoughts off of it for too long. And in the end, when he had finally worked up the courage and had chosen her, she had gladly accepted. Just like that, everything he'd hoped and yearned for had come true. It seemed almost too good. What had he done to deserve this?

_Save the world? Restore balance among the four nations?_ No, he rationalized. That was nowhere near good enough.

His musings had apparently disturbed her. In his arms, she stirred lightly and then slowly looked up into his eyes.

"Aang? Are you still awake?"

Instantly, regret filled his features. "I'm sorry, Katara… I didn't mean to wake you."

She caught the look in his eye and frowned slightly. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing much… just life, I guess."

"That sounds like a lot."

In the darkness, he laughed softly. "It's just something I realized the other day."

"Oh? And what might that be, O Mighty Avatar?" Her tone was playful, teasing.

"The fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

She smiled. "Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, I realized something a little while back as well."

"What's that?"

She leaned up and kissed him. "That I'm looking forward to it."

**

* * *

D is for Delicate**

Sometimes, Aang noticed, Katara seemed invincible. Indestructible. She was confident, self-assured, and nothing, man, machine, Zuko, or otherwise, could stand in her way. This, however, did not happen to be one of those times.

"Do you need anything?" he asked softly, addressing her recumbent figure. The girl had come down with a fever upon entering the Fire Nation and its warmer climate for the first time, and with Sokka busy panicking over his ruined invasion schedule, Aang had taken it upon himself to make her comfortable.

"My… head…" Katara groaned, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "So… hot…"

Aang nodded sympathetically and reached out with his left hand. It took no more than a deft flick of his wrist to summon a small pool of water out of a nearby stream, and another wrist flick brought the cool liquid down into the rag that lay across the young Waterbender's forehead.

Katara coughed hoarsely but still managed a weak smile, grateful for the simple act. It then occurred to Aang all of a sudden that he was seeing a side of Katara that he wasn't accustomed to. This Katara was dependent, fragile. Delicate.

_Delicate_… Aang found himself pondering the word. It made her seem so vulnerable. Like she was a girl in need of his care and protection. He smiled slightly. _Don't worry, Katara… I'll protect you. No matter what._

Now where had _that_ thought come from? He couldn't be sure of its origin, but it had felt so natural when it had sprung to mind. The sound of heavy breathing broke the monk's train of thought, and he looked down to see that Katara had drifted off into a gentle sleep.

He smiled. However many sides there were to Katara, he decided he'd take them all.

The next day, Aang was sick with a fever. Katara tended to him, brought him water, and watched over him, making sure he was comfortable. She smiled when she thought of how someone as powerful as the Avatar could be so delicate.


	3. Escape, First, Genuine

I do not own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I do, however, own this story.

I'm not going to lie; I was feeling really burnt out after finishing _Choices_. So I came back to this story after a couple days' rest, and to my pleasant surprise, these three pieces all came really easily. It's amazing what a little time off will do, huh? In particular, I had a ton of fun writing "Escape", but to be honest I'm really quite fond of all three this time around (which doesn't happen all that often, trust me).

For anyone who cares, "First" was initially "Fire" and then "Flow", while "Genuine" kind of shifted back and forth between what it is now and "Graceful". As I mentioned though, once the concepts were decided upon the writing went rather fast.

Oh yeah, and two important notes. For one, I never did say that these would be "drabbles" or anything of the sort, so don't be surprised if and when they end up varying wildly in length. I'm just writing as much as I feel is necessary to convey the idea. And two, in case anyone was wondering, yes, these do all share continuity. It was implied in the prologue, but I thought I'd make that clear.

**Edit (8/1/2010): **A few changes have been made to correct a some spelling, grammar, and structure deficiencies. Just take my word for it; it's better now.

**

* * *

E is for Escape**

"Uncomfortable" was an understatement. His robes were too hot, the room was too stuffy, and his peers were all much more interested than he. So why was he here again?

Aang sighed. It was the first meeting of the newly-formed Council of Nations. He really had no interest in sitting down and debating the state of world affairs with leaders of the other nations now that the war was over—detachment was in his nature, after all. However, as the Avatar and the sole living representative of the Air Nomads, it was "essential", as Pakku had so eloquently stated, that he be in attendance, which left him sweating in his too-hot robes in his too-stuffy personal quarters, waiting to meet with his too-interested colleagues.

And then, there was a sudden movement. Subtle, yes, though not quite enough to avoid alerting the Avatar's highly-attuned senses. He spun around, his hand halfway to his staff, but there was nothing in sight off of his balcony but the darkening horizon. Shrugging, he turned away.

"It's not like the Avatar to let his guard down like that."

This time, his hand did reach his staff as he spun around once more. A full head of chocolate-brown hair peeked up at him over the top of the banister that lined the balcony outside his room. The face that it framed was currently grinning roguishly at him, cerulean eyes mischievous.

"Katara!" His eyes lit up momentarily, but then dimmed in favor of a questioning look. "What are you doing here?"

Elbows met stone as she leaned up onto the balcony rail. "Oh, nothing much," she replied, though her smile clearly stated otherwise. "I just thought I'd get a glimpse of how the _Avatar_ prepares for his important meetings."

"Don't remind me. You have no idea how much I'm not looking forward to…" His voice trailed off as a somewhat unsettling realization hit him. "Were you watching this entire time?"

The grin was now punctuated by a hint of fuchsia. "Hmm… maybe?"

_Oh man… _Before he could inquire as to just how much she had seen, another thought sprang to mind. "Wait… how did you get here?" he asked, remembering that he was five stories up.

"Well, Appa may have lent a foot… or six."

Aang could only smile and shake his head at his girlfriend's boldness. His skin met hers suddenly as she reached out to touch his arm, and he realized that without thinking he'd walked out onto the balcony.

Her smile never faltered. "Come with me, Aang."

He shook his head. "Katara, you know that I have to be here. It's important!"

"That's true," she admitted. "But I also know you don't _want_ to be here. You said it yourself."

"But…"

"Aang," she said a little more insistently, taking his hand in hers. "Just this once. Zuko will cover for you," she added.

The Avatar chuckled at the last part. Slowly, he cast a glance back toward the interior of his quarters and then turned back to Katara, her hair flowing serenely in the evening breeze. The meeting would be starting any minute.

Sighing, he turned away. He knew what he had to do.

A minute later, the hastily scrawled note was sitting on his dresser and he was dashing back toward the balcony, where Katara was waiting atop Appa.

"Come on," she said, laughing gently as she extended a hand.

Smiling, he took it and let her lead the way.

**

* * *

F is for First**

He didn't think it at the start, but Katara was a lot of firsts to Aang. She was his first sight upon waking from the iceberg, his first waterbending teacher, his first kiss, and eventually, his first love. And now, as they sat at opposite ends of camp, he came to realize that they had had their first real fight.

The Airbender could hardly remember what the fight had even been about. He supposed at this point it wasn't really important. All he knew was that there had been a lot of shouting, some insults thrown back and forth for good measure, and then a mutual promise not to speak to each other for a good, long while. And for a fair amount of time, both were happy with the arrangement.

However, twenty minutes went a long way to cooling a temper, and now, an hour after the fact, Aang felt as though he were about to explode. He turned to see Katara, her back still turned, still silent. He had to do something. He got up slowly.

What if she was still angry? Her hands appeared to be folded in her lap as she stared off into the surrounding trees. She was probably going to yell at him, tell him to leave her alone and forget about anything they'd had between them. He sighed as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Katara, I'm…" he began as he neared her side of the clearing. "I'm…" For some reason he just couldn't find the words. Anxiety, fear of her inevitable wrath, had taken their place.

Gradually, she turned to face him. However, instead of anger as he had expected, Aang saw glistening lines running down the sides of her face, evidence of recent and abundant tears. She'd been crying.

"I'm sorry," they both said at once. "I'm so, so sorry…"

And before either knew what was happening, they were in each other's arms. A moment later their lips met, neither really noticing as Sokka and Toph looked on and then hastily turned away.

_My first fight,_ Aang would muse later. _I guess that wasn't so bad_. He couldn't help but wonder what other firsts Katara had in store for him.

**

* * *

G is for Genuine**

Her smile was about as empty as their compliments. Nevertheless, she held it firmly in place as she graciously thanked the nobles present.

"You look heavenly, my dear."

"Absolutely stunning, Lady Katara."

"You're all too kind," she replied, bowing as her fists clenched and unclenched inside the sleeves of her kimono.

She knew that she was overreacting, and that these people were only being polite and acting as custom had ordained them to. But try as she might, she couldn't get over the lack of substance behind their smiles, the absence of weight in their words. The vast majority of them didn't even know her name, let alone who she really was. To them, she was present by association, and nothing more.

As the ornate ballroom became more and more crowded, Katara was beginning to silently curse Zuko for even throwing this party in the first place. Why did she agree to come?

"Excuse me, Lady Katara…"

Oh, that was _it_. Having been plenty annoyed already by the all-too-friendly nobles and her dwindling personal space, something inside Katara snapped. Customs and propriety could take a flying leap into the Spirit World for all she cared.

"What do you want?" she snapped, turning around to face the source of the voice. When she did, her face immediately softened.

Aang stood grinning before her, one leg behind the other as he bowed slightly. "Milady, I was wondering if you would honor me with this dance."

She rolled her eyes in disbelief as she took his hand. "You're late, you know."

Aang didn't seem to hear this as he led her out to the center of the floor. "You look wonderful," he said simply.

She blushed and laughed, her smile as genuine as his words.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow... in hindsight, the last line of "First" ended up being a lot more suggestive than I'd intended. Oh well.


	4. Hide, Ideas, Jump

I do not own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I do, however, own this story.

This was a peculiar trio of pieces for me. I'm not really happy with "Ideas"; I'll say that up front. The letter I had me stumped beyond belief, and I guess I ended up slapping a story onto it that I wasn't entirely satisfied with. "Jump" is a little strange now that I read it again, but it's probably my favorite of the three and certainly flowed the most naturally when I was writing it. But hey, I guess I'll let you decide that for yourself, huh?

On a very minor note, I'm very strongly considering (as in, I'm going to unless an overwhelming amount of people tell me otherwise) retconning Thao's name to Tenzin so that it matches up with _The Legend of Korra_. I'm assuming the vast majority of you probably don't care that much, but if you do happen to take great issue with this, feel free to drop me a line and slap me around a bit. Also, chapter 3's been edited to fix a few embarrassing spelling, grammatical, and structural oddities. That is all.

Leave me a comment on your way out! Thanks for reading!

**

* * *

H is for Hide**

"Tell me again," Aang began, his voice barely above a whisper. "What exactly are we doing?"

Katara crouched next to him, her eyes barely above the threshold of the window as she peered out of the otherwise empty building. "Hiding."

"From who?"

"My father." Her response was maddeningly simple. "He's coming this way."

It was a passable explanation for being dragged without warning through the doorway of some old storage shed (was that what they called it in the South Pole?), but Aang wasn't about to give up there. "And why, exactly, are we hiding from your dad?"

"_Shh!_" Katara pressed a finger to her lips as the Airbender's voice rose just a little too high for her liking. "If he sees us together, he's going to start asking me about when we're getting married."

Aang's eyes widened by a considerable degree. "He _asks_ you about that stuff?"

"You have no idea. And I thought Sokka was bad."

Aang pondered this for a moment. The war had been over for three years, and truth be told, he had begun to entertain the prospect of marriage after all that time. It was a little strange to imagine Katara dodging her father's questions for that long, though it did bring another thought to mind. "What's wrong?" he said, feigning indignity. "Is the thought of marrying me really that bad?"

"W—what? Of course not!" Katara exclaimed, all intentions of being stealthy forgotten. Visibly flustered, she continued, "It's just that…"

"Hey, calm down," Aang said easily, pulling her into a quick hug and pecking her on the cheek. "I was just teasing." He stood up and held out a hand. "Come on. Your dad should be gone by now."

Katara smiled and slapped him playfully on the arm in retaliation, but still took his hand as he led her outside into the frozen homeland of the Southern Water Tribe.

"Sneaking off to be alone in old storage buildings, eh?"

"Huh? Master Pakku!"

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing; I won't tell anyone… though you two really should start thinking about getting m—"

The two were gone and out of sight before he could finish.

**

* * *

I is for Ideas**

They crept away from the campsite as quietly as they could manage. As fate would soon prove, however, it was in vain.

"I can feel you two moving, you know," Toph quipped. Her unfocused eyes stared off into the distance. "So you can stop trying to sneak away."

A sheepish grin passed between the two culprits, though neither spoke to the other. Finally, Aang meekly offered, "Good morning, Toph."

"Is that you, Twinkletoes?" she deadpanned, clearly aware who it was. "I guess that makes the other one Sugar Queen herself!"

While Toph was quite obviously enjoying herself, Katara was frantically trying to quiet the Earthbender. "Look, Toph, could you keep it down? I don't want Sokka to—"

"Oh, don't worry," Toph replied with a rather unsettling grin. "I won't tell Sokka _anything_…"

"Tell me what!" Sokka burst out of his tent, machete and boomerang instinctively drawn. This in turn only served to make things all the more comical as he stopped in his tracks and gaped at the two before him. "Where were you two going this early in the morning?"

Aang suddenly seemed very interested in some fruit that Momo had gathered, which left Katara to explain. "We were going to practice Waterbending."

Sokka glared and folded his arms, weapons still in hand. "A _likely_ story. I bet you two were sneaking off to go kiss and… _make out_ or something like that!"

Katara flushed red amidst Toph's gales of laughter. "Sokka, I already told you what we were going to do. If you don't believe us, then that's your problem. Although…" She stopped and smiled mischievously. "…Thanks for the ideas."

Sokka was unable to do any more than stutter incoherently as the two wandered off. "H-hey! What's that supposed to mean? Toph!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Were they telling the truth? Come on, you know, don't you?"

Toph just sat and smirked.

**

* * *

J is for Jump**

The sky filled her eyes as she stared. Atop the cliff, the clouds seemed just a little bit closer, the endless azure a little bit more welcoming.

"You're so lucky," she said slowly.

"Don't remind me," he said with a laugh, squeezing her hand gently. His voice seemed to float with the passing wind.

"Not that, silly," she giggled, pushing him away playfully. "What I mean is… you're an Airbender."

"Yes…?" Aang started, genuinely confused.

"And you can do all of these amazing things!"

"You can do some pretty amazing things yourself," the monk reminded.

Katara frowned. "I want to touch those clouds," she said softly. She hated the way she sounded, like a pouting little girl. "I want to fly."

"You know Appa would give you a ride anytime you want."

"It's not the same. You know that."

Aang thought for a moment. He remembered the time when they had visited the Northern Air Temple, when Katara had first used a glider. Her joyful laughter at experiencing such a thing filled his mind, and he had an idea.

"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly as he stood up, staff in hand.

Katara's reply was immediate. "Of course I do!"

"Then jump."

"What?" She glanced down into the valley below. The bottom suddenly seemed very far away.

"You said you wanted to fly. And that you trust me," Aang said, hints of a grin playing on his face. A flick of his wrist extended the staff's full wingspan. "Just jump."

Still, she hesitated. Then, newfound warmth filled her as Aang took her hand in his.

"I'll be right here," he said.

Katara looked into his eyes and smiled. "Okay."

She jumped, and her laughter soared with her.


	5. Kisses, Leaf, Magic

I don't own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender._ I do, however, own this story.

Oh, man. You have no idea how much I went through just to get these three out of my head and on paper. With the exception of _Kisses_, which is by far my favorite and the one I had the least problems writing (none too coincidentally), these pieces just took absolutely _forever_ to write, and I have no idea why. It's definitely not for shortage of ideas... I think M was probably five different things before it became what it is now. Oh well. Sorry for the wait; school kind of took over my life for the past few months. Thank you so much to everyone who's given me such an enthusiastic response so far... your comments help me more than you know and I really appreciate them.

As always, enjoy, and drop me a line on your way out!

**

* * *

K is for Kisses**

A million kisses.

Aang was sure that he must have shared at least that many with Katara by now, and yet he still had never tired of them. Not even a million more would do that.

It seemed that she had a different kiss for each time of day, a different kiss for every situation. There was her "goodnight" kiss, which they shared every evening before laying down to sleep together. It was warm, loving, and whole—just as they were as they shared a bed. There was her "morning" kiss, which they partook in with the dawn of each new day. Like the morning itself, it was cool and rejuvenating, awakening the both of them to meet the sunrise. And, of course, there was her "midday, or whenever else they felt like it" kiss, which they both indulged in quite often. There were others as well, for rainy days, for thunderstorms, for the heat of summer, for the privacy of their room, for crowded, public places when they thought no one was looking, and countless more.

"Is something wrong, Aang?"

Snapped out of his reverie, Aang looked up from his untouched breakfast to see Katara staring at him from across the table, concern written across her face. "It's fine, Katara. I was just thinking…" he paused, and Katara nodded encouragingly, "…something was different."

"Different?" Katara looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I got up this morning and kissed you."

"Mm-hmm," Katara agreed, trying unsuccessfully to hold back a bemused smile. "We do that every morning, don't we?"

"Yeah," Aang said distractedly, scratching his head. "But it was different, somehow." This time around, the "morning" kiss had been cool, yes. But it was also energetic, full of an indescribable fire. So full of _life_.

And then, it dawned on him as he remembered the previous evening. The grassy, twilit hill just outside their house. Katara, smiling as she had broken the wondrous news to him. Everything had changed so suddenly. But it was a good change.

Breaking into a wide grin, he leaned across the table and kissed her, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream. She did not object.

A million and one kisses. He smiled as they parted. It was still nowhere near enough.

**

* * *

L is for Leaf**

"Listen. Can't you hear it?"

Grudgingly, Aang had to admit that he could not.

"Try again," Katara encouraged, smiling as she closed her eyes. "Listen closely."

Perhaps Katara simply had exceptional hearing. Aang strained his ears as listened for a trace of sound, anything out of the ordinary. "I don't get it," he finally said after a few more seconds.

"Really?" Katara seemed amused. "I'm surprised… you are an Airbender, after all."

Faced with a personal affront to his dignity (albeit a playful one), Aang offered up his best answer. "All I can hear is the wind in the trees."

"_Exactly!_" Katara exclaimed excitedly, briefly embracing him. "So you can hear it too? That's great!"

"Um… yeah!" Aang nodded sheepishly. "It's great!"

A moment passed in silence, save for the whispering breeze. "They're beautiful," Katara sighed, her stare fixed straight upward.

The Avatar followed her gaze and was greeted by the leaves suspended high above, blazing crimson in their autumnal glory. Every time a breeze blew through, a few more would flutter to the ground, weaving in and out of each other as though they were dancing.

Aang turned to Katara only to find that she was no longer sitting beside him. His eyes followed her as she moved slowly onto the path that ran beside them. She swayed slowly as she walked, and the leaves swirled and fell around her. And then she turned to face him, laughing gently as the passing wind.

It was then that Aang realized Katara had been right all along. He wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it before, but now it all seemed clear as the autumn daylight.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

**

* * *

M is for Magic**

"Please, Avatar Aang? You said you would!"

"Yeah, you promised!"

"Just one magic trick!"

He couldn't possibly say no to those faces. Surrounded by a group of local children, Aang caved, laughing as he threw up his hands in mock frustration. "All right! One magic trick it is, then." He shot a quick glance back over at his wife, who rolled her eyes in amusement as she watched the spectacle.

"Observe," the Airbender proclaimed theatrically, flicking his wrist and producing a dark ball of earth seemingly out of thin air. "An ordinary lump of coal." He beckoned a girl who had been sitting shyly at the outside of the crowd to come closer. Timidly, she did so, and Aang offered the hunk of earth to her with a big smile. Once she had verified that it was, in fact, a chunk of earth, he took it back and thanked her for her assistance.

"I've been working on my powers of metamorphosis," the Avatar said in a hushed tone, as though such a thing were frowned upon. The children looked on with rapt attention, despite the fact that none of them likely knew what "metamorphosis" meant. "I am going to turn this coal into something far different! Now, watch closely…"

With a deep breath, he began. The tiniest of wrist flicks sent the earth up into the air, and the children gasped as it hovered, suspended over their heads. Aang gave a grunt as he thrust both fists upward, and two large chunks of earth exploded out of the ground and into the air, encasing the coal as they came crashing together. The earthen mass hardened into a boulder and came crashing down to the ground as a couple of children screamed in a mixture of delight and fright. As it did so, Aang released a pair of fire blasts from his hands and trained them on the boulder for a few seconds, and then abruptly stopped.

A moment or two passed in silence. "That's it?" Katara called playfully from beyond the ring of children. "You took a smaller rock and turned it into a bigger rock and set it on fire?"

Aang grimaced. "It appears I'm being mocked! My wife apparently doubts my powers, kids… nothing new there," he added at the end, pretending to whisper so she couldn't hear, which elicited numerous giggles from the audience. "What do you all think?"

The children immediately erupted into uproarious supportive applause, and the Avatar bowed deeply in appreciation. "It's good to know _some_ people appreciate me around here," he said, throwing his wife an outrageous accusing look. "Anyway, where was I?" He paused and leaned against the large boulder in mock thought.

Suddenly, he gave an exaggerated cry and leapt backward as the rock split right down the middle. The children leaned in to see as he bent down and picked something up from the ground where the rock had split. And then, they burst into applause as he held the object out for them.

What once had been a featureless piece of coal had become a brilliant, glittering diamond. As the children thanked Aang for his display and ran back to their homes, talking excitedly about what they had just witnessed, Katara approached her husband with a smile.

"Magic, huh?"

Aang handed her the shining stone. "Close enough, anyway."

Katara laughed. "I hope you're as good at entertaining your own child as you are with those kids." She placed a hand on her abdomen and sighed contentedly.

Impulsively, Aang laid a hand atop hers—he could have sworn that he felt a little kick just then—and she rested her head on his shoulder as the sunset signaled the day's end.

Magic, indeed.


	6. Never, Ocean, Perfect

I don't own any creative rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I do, however, own this story.

While I realize that this did, in fact, take entirely too long, I also realize that I preface what must be the overwhelming majority of my chapters with some sort of apology for the aforementioned, so I feel it would probably be more appropriate to start apologizing for doing things on time at this point. (If you didn't read all of that, I don't blame you.) In any case, here is the newest trio of pieces in the _A is for Airbender_ cycle.

I'm pretty sure I like them well enough, which more than often is more than I can say. _Perfect_ is probably the closest thing to a drabble that I've ever written. (Literally, ever.) I tried my absolute hardest to make it longer than it was, to flesh it out a bit (for some reason, my mind just screams "HELL NO" whenever I even consider writing true drabbles), but in the end it pretty much dictated its own length and I stopped trying to fight it. That's not to say I don't like it, because I do, particularly due to an amusing yet appropriate (and admittedly, completely unintentional) play on words that somehow found its way in. See if you can find it! (It's glaringly obvious.)

As always, thanks for reading, and if you feel so inclined, let me know what you think.

* * *

**N is for Never**

The place really was quite a sight. He'd never seen anything like it. Sokka and Toph had more than delivered on their promise to "knock his socks off" with their decorations, a vow which at first had been enough to make his stomach turn a little uneasily, but Aang discovered that his concerns had apparently been unfounded.

"Where did you get the paper dragon?" he asked, dumbfounded at the sight of a massive, albeit fake, dragon hovering overhead, which happened to be breathing suspiciously real-looking fire.

Sokka, standing at the Avatar's side, simply grinned mischievously. "Oh… I've got contacts."

Although Aang was sure that "contacts" meant "Zuko", he chose not to pursue the line of questioning. "This must have cost you a fortune," he said, more to himself than Sokka. "I mean, the banners, the lanterns, flowers, the costumed tsungi horn player…"

"Hey now," the warrior said, draping his arm casually across Aang's shoulders. "That isn't important. It's your special day, after all!"

He hadn't forgotten. Countless things had had to go right for this to happen, finding a proper pair of dress robes not least of all, but somehow the spirits had aligned just right. And now, the only thing left was…

"Here she comes," Sokka whispered, nudging the Airbender gently as the crowd quieted themselves, save for the tsungi horn player who started playing a slow, traditional tune. "Congratulations… _Brother_."

Aang broke into a smile at this, and it only grew wider as he saw her emerge from the double doors at the end of the hall.

Katara really was quite a sight. And on that perfect summer night, amidst a crowd of his closest friends, in her flowing, regal gown, he'd never seen anything like her.

* * *

**O is for Ocean**

"So I was thinking, we could stop by Iroh's tea shop first and relax for a little bit."

"Mm-hmm," Aang agreed, staring off into the distance as the two friends walked at an easy pace despite the precariousness of the Serpent's Pass.

Sokka was busy ticking the finer points of his plan for the afternoon off on his fingers. "And then we could _pop in_ on the Earth King…" He chuckled at his impersonation of Joo Dee.

"Sure," Aang complied, his stare still fixated on some imaginary point in the distance.

"I'm assuming we'll discuss the Fire Nation's reparations to the Earth Kingdom at some point…"

"Yep."

"Which reminds me; Zuko will probably be there…"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, and I guess we can bring up that whole flaming moon-peach tree incident…"

"Yeah, definitely."

The Water Tribesman gave an audible sigh. He was doing it again. "Oh, and I thought maybe we could ransack the palace while we're at it?"

"Sure."

"Maybe stage a violent takeover of the upper ring?"

"Yeah."

"Declare another war on the Fire Nation?"

"I don't see why n—"

"_Aang!_" Sokka screeched, his patience finally reaching its limit.

The Airbender jumped ten feet—literally—in the air, floating back down to earth with a puzzled look. "There's no need to shout, Sokka. What is it?"

Resisting the urge to toss the Avatar down to the serpent for judgment, the Water Tribesman took a deep breath and replied levelly, "You haven't been paying attention to a single thing I've said, have you?"

"I'm sorry," Aang stated sheepishly. "I guess I just got a little distracted."

"By what?" Sokka said incredulously. There was nothing around but a slim shelf of rock and miles of water. "There's nothing out here."

"The ocean," Aang countered simply, turning to look at it once more.

"It's just water," the warrior protested. "What's so special about it?"

"It's blue," Aang said with a nod, as though that meant something. "And it's loving."

"Um… Aang? Are you feeling okay?"

"And it's deep and mysterious and beautiful…"

"Oh…" Sokka sighed resignedly as Aang continued rambling. So _that_ was what was on the Avatar's mind. "I suppose maybe we should stop by to see Katara first then?"

"Huh? Sokka, did you say something?"

* * *

**P is for Perfect**

Blemished, marred, imperfect. Incomplete.

But only sometimes.

Separate, they were all of these things, each in their own way. Two halves of a whole, two pieces that, without the other, did not and could not make sense, could not meaningfully exist.

But together, they were more. They were complete. Whole.

Under sanctuary of darkness they came together, connecting spiritually and physically. For that moment, they were together, and together they remained.

Together, they were perfect.


	7. Question, Reality, Shells

I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender. _I do, however, own this story.

The end is in sight! Only a few more chapters to go. I hope you enjoy these three ("Shells" is my favorite). Give them a look and let me know what you think! Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take forever. Again.

* * *

**Q is for Question**

He found himself checking his pocket for the fifth time that evening. Just to make sure it was there. Not so much because he was afraid it would go missing, but more for the comfort he took from knowing that nothing had gone horribly wrong yet.

It was a legitimate concern. Having enlisted Sokka and Toph for their help in such a momentous occasion, he knew he was leaving a lot up to chance. Even now, with Sokka grinning like an idiot and flashing him a thumbs-up before ducking behind a pillar, he found that he was no less anxious. What if she hadn't gotten his letter? What if Appa had gotten lost?

But those concerns, it would appear, were moot. A slight breeze passed through and into the evening twilight, as though heralding her arrival. And there she stood, a slight look of confusion across her face, at the entrance to the Southern Air Temple's antechamber.

"Katara," Aang said simply. He tried to keep his voice from jumping an octave.

"Aang? Why did you send Appa to bring me here?" she inquired, sounding slightly amused at the entire situation.

The Avatar cleared his throat, unsure of what to say for himself. He still had not moved from where he stood. "Well… that's a good question," he said lamely. Immediately he regretted it.

The ground rose up from under him, and his first thought was, _Spirits, that was the cue!_ Reacting on instinct, he flung himself forward just in time as the earth beneath him exploded in a shower of colorful sparks, the product of Toph's handiwork and Sokka's proficiency with pyrotechnics. Unfortunately, this sent him barreling into Katara.

They collapsed backward as the fireworks subsided, and Aang sat up, rubbing his head. "Sorry about that," he groaned.

But Katara wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixated on the necklace that she held in her hands, which up until a moment ago had been securely held in Aang's pocket. "Aang?" she breathed, her voice laced with too many emotions to count.

Somewhere behind him, Toph and Sokka were running and yelling, apologizing for setting off the display at the wrong instance of the word "question". But he didn't notice. Instead, at that moment, the Avatar decided to throw all of his plans to the wind and go for broke.

"So… I don't suppose the ship has sailed on you marrying me?"

* * *

**R is for Reality**

The clouds seemed to darken as he walked. He knew it would rain soon. And yet, all he could think about was how badly he wished this were a dream.

Where had it gone wrong? How did it turn out like this? He thought back to all the things that had happened, everything they had shared. It had all seemed so perfect.

He continued to walk. It was a path that he knew well. _My son will also know it well,_ he mused darkly. It only made it worse.

Forcing himself to think of nothing, he numbly continued. All too soon, he arrived.

And then, gasping, he awoke.

* * *

**S is for Shells**

"She's here."

Toph turned and met the Avatar's gaze. "Who's here?"

For the longest time, Aang said nothing as the two friends walked side by side along the twilit shore, the sound of the surf echoing hazily around them in the sunset.

"_She _is," he finally said, as though it were perfectly obvious.

And to Toph, it finally was. "Oh," she offered simply. And then she nodded.

Aang had stopped walking the meantime, and had turned to simply stare out into the horizon, smiling warmly as though greeting an old friend. "The water, the sky, the sand…"

Toph almost laughed, shaking her head bemusedly. "You know we're gonna see her again soon, Twinkletoes."

Aang once again did not reply, instead bending down to pick up some object of interest. "…Even the shells."

Toph finally allowed herself a chuckle. "Just everywhere, right?"

And for the first time, it seemed that Aang did hear her. "Yeah," he said with a soft smile. "Everywhere."


End file.
